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CHAPTER 4
It soon became apparent that although there was a degree of consensus between
the role-players on the tariff committee about the method of calculating tariffs, the
long interval for the adjustment of a tariff made matters difficult.
Guidelines for concluding grain contracts
In an increasingly deregulated market environment, many producers were uncertain
about the meaning of certain terms in grain contracts. NOPO drew up a set of guide-
lines on matters that should be kept in mind when grain contracts are concluded.
Research priority committee
The committee convened for the first time on 12 October 1995. At the meeting,
the ARC’s Oil and Protein Seed Centre (ARC-OPS) informed the committee
about existing and new projects. A complete budget and cost structures for
projects were submitted. The NOPO Executive used this opportunity to pass on
research needs to the ARC. On the back of this it was decided that feedback on
research projects would be presented annually at the Congress to the respective
breakaway groups.
Profile study: Needs of oilseed producers and long-term
sustainability of the oilseeds industry
The Executive granted permission for NOPO to undertake a macro-economic study
on the long-term sustainability of the oilseeds industry in collaboration with the
University of Pretoria’s School for Economic and Management Sciences.
The aim of this research was to obtain a statistical profile of the oilseeds industry
through the primary and secondary sources of information. The data was used to
assess the importance of the industry in the general economy, including liaison
effects, and to set off the impact of policy changes on the industry in a strategic
vision of the future.
A questionnaire was also distributed to 9 600 producers as a profile study as part of
the project. The aim of the questionnaire was to identify the needs and expectations
of oilseeds producers in order to support decision-making on strategic focus areas
for NOPO.
The first draft report was released on 31 December 1995, after which the results of
the investigation were announced at the 1996 Congress.
Take a careful look at the fine print…NOPO gave producers guidelines on how to avoid
problems in contracts. NOPO News, 1997.